Saturday, May 14, 2011

How cold is cold enough? How humid is really humid?

How cold is too cold? How windy is really windy? It depends on where you live. If you are from the South you will need a blanket if it's below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 °C). If you are accustomed to cold weather, 70 (20+ C) is too hot. For residents of Oymyakon in Eastern Siberia with average winter temperature of -49°F (−45°C) and record low -90°F (-67.7°C), -30°F (−34.4°C) is pretty pleasant. If you live in Cold Bay, Alaska, 15 miles per hour is not really windy, while in Oak Ridge, Tennessee average wind blows at only 4 miles per hour.

In general,

110 Fahrenheit is considered dangerously hot

100° F may be hazardous

90° F is uncomfortably hot

80-40 is considered a relatively comfortable range - the average surface temperature of the Earth is 59° F

But let's take a closer look at the world's climate, mostly defined by long-term (30 years) patterns in temperature and precipitation:

Purple regions (A) in this map are hot and rainy year around. Orange areas (B) are dry with little rain and a large range of daily temperatures. Green areas are two-season climates with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Blue regions (C) have continental climates with distinct four seasons and moderate precipitation. E denote cold areas with permanent ice and tundra. Only about four out of twelve months temperature in these areas raises above freezing.

3 most windy cities in US (seasonal wind averages are given in miles per hour):